cunningham



Sept. 25, 1 23, 1,468,699

J. P. CUNNINGHAM I CLOTHESLINE HOLDER Filed Jan. '5, 1922 INVENTOR.

M w f I ATTORNEY.

W1 TIQ'ESSES conveniently and securely fastened to the side of a building, post, tree,-upr1ght,' or

' I Patented Sept. 25, 1923;,

4 plicant -nei tmn '3, 1522. S eria1 Ne.j5 26,6l)7l I V D Colimnd which the. following is *a Ispec-r about which a clothes line may behitched and tightened with a .minimumofeffort; etwvitho-ut any lrnotsbeing'necessary n any part of the clothes line, andwhich may be such othersupportingmeans, and also, con veniently removed therefrom. v I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which+ Y Figure 1 is a I wrought holder showing a portionof rope secured thereon; Figure 2 isa front elevation view and Figure ,3 is a side elevation View of the same holder Figure ,4: is a front elevation view of the holderladapted to cast-s f ing, and Figure 5 is a side elevation view of such adaptation. V

Siinilar' 1 letters refer to similar parts throughout these several views. I Thepart, a, of the h lder allows of wood screws or bolts being passed through the be brought closertogether in case a thinner opening, or openings, 0, therein. The heads 'of the screws or bolts-are tightened against:

the outer surface, 6, when'the holder is secured, by means of the screws or bolts to i the upright, designated asA. The shank 40 or stem,.0, extends at right angles,'or pref- "erably, at a trifle less than at'right angles to the plane of said surface, 6, a convenient distance'therefrom. At the outermost end of said stem or shank, a, the two prongs'or projections, d, blfurcate upwardly andsornewhat inwardly toward the planeuof said sur-' face,- b, in the shape of the letter V. i In the i wrought forin o'fconstruc'tion,illustrated in Figures 1, 2Vand .3 of the drawing, the tops of these two prongsior projections,;cl, may

{rope is to be fastened upon the holder, or I said prongs or projections may be further separated in case a thicker rope is to be fastened upon the holder; The, inner surfaces of the junctures between said stem or f L crpm'eesemm em perspective view of Joint sw mmin- Q sawsaws rounded for thesaine reason.

of ropeto thisliholder is as follows: Iflh'e prongs or projections,allowingituto rest in the crotch between said prongs; or pro- 7 j jections, whiletheloose end of the rope, d'esignated asw, InFigu-re l of the'drawing,

h te either sideof said sternror shank c. f The rope isthen passed around behind that prong :or projection which iskopposite the side of theasternorjshank over lwhich the #looseendpf the line issu'spendeialso lo e- V hind the other prong or "projection and p 1 around over the loose end ofthe line of rope. The part ofthe "use which is beind'unQ coiled, designated in Figure l of the crawing as, 3 isthen drawntaut. The line will i i be firmly secured to the holder,.bec'ause of: 'so' where itiS wound about the prongs or-pr'o-,.

the friction exerted :upon the line of rope a e diprcn s apioiec na re e e eld da tet reYBn i -rws l ed'ges upon which the ropeyvouldbechafedb f Alltne eXposedJsurfaces of the devicearei I, gThe preferred .means'o'f' meanings untif.

.end o'fa line ofrope is passed between said jections and into thecrotch between them,

also by the bight which the part,'tg of the line, when taut, exerts upon the. loose end of rope, w, aswill bereadily understood by reference tot-he drawing. The line of rope is, then followed to the next" ofthe -holders upon which it is to; be secured. V v Therefthe line is passedfrom either side around and behind both of said prongs or projections; thence it; is looped between two said prongs or projections down into the I 1 crotch between them; thence around that 1' one of the said prongs or projectionsfar'ound which iSald 'llnejor" rope was first passed.

The line of ropeisthen drawn under the part of said rope which was first wound around the prong orprojection, Thus, the

line lwill be' fastened to this aholder in a 4 1100,

manner similar to that by which the 'enclj'of the line'ofrope that was first secured to 1 the other hook is engaged thereto. The

part of the linewhich has beenf stretched will have astrong'bight on the part ofithe' 105. V is any 'slackin the partof thelihefwhich 4 has been puti-n place, will jmerely be e necessary to pull the line taut upon the last T holder "uponiwhichit was wound, as. above f I t line. that being'stretcl red'. In case there described. The slack .in the line-may :then readily'be taken up by pulling the other part ofthe line of'rope. I This operation is.

stretched between two or more of said holding leverage upon the screws or bolts, the V i then repeated for stretching successive parts only necessary to pull the loose end oftheline, frontwards and upwards from under the'part, y, of the :line. when the partof the line engaged by'the holde islifted free thereof.

sary in any part of the line'to be stretched; that a line of rope may thereby be securely ers; and that any slack in the line may be readily taken up, as described. This devlce results in a great convenience, both in stretching a clothes line into place, and in removing it from the 'holdersQ It will be noted that the construction of, the holder,

relative to the means for securing the same into place is such that the tension of and upon the line of ropewhich is stretchedbetween any two of the holders is exerted more directly in the lineof the screws or bolts whereby the holder is 'held in place against the side of a building, upright, or

other means of support. By thus elim1natquent darnagerwhich may thereby result is to a great extent dispensed with. i

I am aware that prior to my lnventlon, clothes llnehold'ers have been made wlth upwardly extending, bifurcated projections 7 r a or prongs; I, therefore, do notclaim such It .will be evident, that by the described use'of this simple device-no knots are neces "that the ends thereof bifurcate from the portions of said rod contiguous with each of such ends, bent to extend about adjacent and V parallelto each other in the sameiplane, V

at an acute angle relative to-the plane or" said bifurcating ends, and the remaining portion of said rod bent and fashioned into a loop with the opening and openings" therebetween, substantially as illustrated and described. V In witness whereof, v I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two sub scribingwitnesses. J OHN V P. CUNNINGHAM.

Witnesses: 1 n

AURILLA HUNHoLz, JOSEPH H. HOLZHAUER.' 

